見間違える
みまちがえる
verb
to mistake one thing for another; to misidentify
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 見間違える | 見間違えない |
| Present polite | 見間違えます | 見間違えません |
| Past | 見間違えた | 見間違えなかった |
| Past polite | 見間違えました | 見間違えませんでした |
| て form | 見間違えて | 見間違えなくて |
| ている present | 見間違えている | 見間違えていない |
| ている polite | 見間違えています | 見間違えていません |
| ている past | 見間違えていた | 見間違えていなかった |
| ている past polite | 見間違えていました | 見間違えていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 見間違えれば | 見間違えなければ |
| Conditional たら | 見間違えたら | 見間違えなかったら |
| Volitional | 見間違えよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 見間違えましょう | — |
| Potential | 見間違えられる | 見間違えられない |
| Passive | 見間違えられる | 見間違えられない |
| Causative | 見間違えさせる | 見間違えさせない |
| Imperative | 見間違えろ | 見間違えるな |
1.
to mistake one thing for another; to misidentify visually
To incorrectly identify something or someone by seeing them as something or someone else. An error of visual perception or recognition.
人を見間違えた。
I mistook someone for someone else.
遠くから見て、犬を猫と見間違えた。
Seeing from a distance, I mistook a dog for a cat.
双子の姉妹はよく似ていて、いつも見間違えてしまう。
The twin sisters look so alike that I always mistake one for the other.
A compound verb combining 見る (to see) and 間違える (to make a mistake). Specifically refers to visual misidentification — mistaking one person or thing for another.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 人を見間違える: to mistake someone for someone else
- AをBと見間違える: to mistake A for B
- 見間違えるほど似ている: so similar that you could mistake them
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 見違える: to see a dramatic change in someone — NOT about making mistakes, but about being amazed at how different someone/something looks (見違えるほど綺麗になった = she became so beautiful I hardly recognized her)
- 間違える: to make a mistake — the general verb for errors, not limited to visual mistakes
- 取り違える: to mix up, to confuse — broader; can apply to confusing concepts, not just visual misidentification
CAUTION:
Do not confuse 見間違える (to misidentify) with 見違える (to see a dramatic transformation). These have very different meanings despite similar appearance.